Runaway
by dragonflare137
Summary: AU One-Shot- Lotti's broken family drives her to leave the hell that she calls home. Lost and confused, she wanders down an alleyway and doesn't have the strength to go on anymore. When she is found by her annoying classmate, what is she to do when her walls come crashing down.


"That's it! I'm tired of your bullshit old man!"

"Don't you dare speak to me like that young lady!"

"Oh you don't like it? Then how about I make this easier on both of us. I'm out of here!"

"If you leave this house then you might as well not come back. Go live on the streets for all I care."

"Anywhere is better then this hell-hole!"

I didn't care to listen to the shouts and screams that followed as I turned by back on my so-called father. Not even looking back at the target of my anger, I left the place that I had called home for so long and slammed the door as hard as I could. Rage clouded my mind and I simply ran. I didn't know where I was going or where I would end up, I just ran as far from that house as I could.

I mentally slapped myself for storming out of the house without first grabbing something warm to wear. It was nearly midnight, and the winter air chilled me to the bone. I was eternally grateful that it wasn't snowing tonight. My shoulder length pink hair fluttered softly in the breeze as I turned my head to look at my surroundings. I started to panic because I recognized nothing around me.

"Oh no oh no oh no," I whispered as I slid down to my knees. A wave of regret washed over me as I realized the huge mistake that I had just made. I had left everything with no where to go. I'm not the person who acts without thinking, and this was exactly the reason why. I had let my emotions run wild and look where it got me. I'm also not someone who feels sorry for herself when they mess up, but as my eyes started to sting with tears, I knew that I'd broken that personal rule as well.

"What did I do to deserve this," I mumbled to myself. "Am I really that bad of a person." Even though I couldn't see them, I knew my cheeks were a bright red from both the cold and my crying. My eyes were probably puffy and red as well.

It seemed like I was sitting there for hours. It was still dark so I knew it couldn't have been that long. My legs were nearly frozen from sitting on the cold concrete and my entire body was stiff from being in this position for so long. Not only was I very cold, I was also extremely tired. I hadn't slept a wink this night or the last and it was starting to take its toll on me. My eyelids were starting to grow heavy and I could barely keep myself from falling over. I would have fallen unconscious if the sudden sound of footsteps hadn't caused me to become fully alert.

"Who's there?" I asked in a shaky tone. "Come out right now."

I heard someone chuckle and voice say, "Well what do we have here? I didn't think that I would see you of all people out here crying Miss Lotti."

"_Oh no not him," _I thought to myself as I looked up and saw one red eye peering at me from above. It seemed to be a mocking gaze, but there was a glint of something else hidden in the wine red eye of the strange boy that now stood before me.

"What do you want Xerxes," I grumbled as I averted my gaze from him. Out of everyone I knew, he was the last person I wanted to see me like this. We are talking about Xerxes Break, one of the most popular kids in our high school along with Gilbert Nightray, Vincent Nightray, Oz Vessailus, Alice Baskerville and her twin Alyss, Sharon Rainsworth, and Reim Lunettes. They didn't prance around the school like they owned the place, but everyone still respected them. They weren't even seniors yet, but people in higher grades treated them like celebrities. All of them were actually really nice people, but every group has their one oddity and Xerxes Break was that oddity. He was the most annoying person I've ever met, and he's also the cockiest man in the world. Xerxes makes it his job to annoy me and mess with me every single day.

"I just heard someone crying underneath my balcony and decided to come and investigate," he answered with a goofy smile on his face. I wanted to slap that stupid grin off of his face, but there was just something about it that was neither mocking nor taunting.

""Well now you know," I replied. "Now if you would be so kind as to leave me alone, I would really appreciate it." A swift gust of air flew through the alley that I sat in, and I felt all the heat leave my body. I began to shiver violently and I curled myself into a tight ball to keep any heat I had left where it was.

"Now this just won't do," I heard Xerxes mumble under his breath. All of a sudden, I felt something warm press against my side and something else drape across my shoulders. I looked up and I instantly started to blush. Xerxes was sitting right next to me, and he had wrapped us both in a quilt that I failed to notice before.

"Wh-what are you doing you creep," I stuttered as I tried to push him away. "Get away from me!"

"Oohhh, but Miss Lotti you seem so cold~" he said in an incredibly irritating voice. "I was only trying to help."

"Well I don't need your help," I retorted. I was still trying to push him away from me, but he just kept pushing back. I eventually just gave up and let him stay next me. It was safe to say that it was extremely awkward for me since I may or may not have a _tiny_ little crush on him. I mean he annoys me constantly, but the fact that someone other then my best friends Lily, Fang and Doug notices me really made all the difference. No one really associates with me because they think that I'm the school whore, (which I am definitely not) and they think that I'm an unapproachable bitch. It's extremely aggravating, and if it wasn't for my friend's then I don't know where I would be. So when Xerxes started to talk to me, I was very surprised and I really didn't know what to think, so I just did what I usually do. I told him off and told him to leave me the hell alone. That usually worked, but he kept coming back for some reason. After awhile I eventually started to enjoy his company, but my pride wouldn't allow me to tell him that. Before I knew it, I had fallen for the annoying clown.

"It doesn't seem that way Miss Lotti," answered Xerxes in a softer tone then before. I looked over at him and saw that he was looking at me with a kind expression, which was totally unlike him. I had to admit to myself though that he looked quite handsome with that smile.

"You have no right to say what I do and don't need you stupid moron." I replied. "Now just go away!" The strain of the night was starting to get to me, and I could feel tears in my eyes once again. My chest tightened, and my body felt heavy.

"What's wrong Lotti?" asked Xerxes. "This isn't like you."

"That's none of your business," I mumbled through my tears. "Anyway you probably don't even care."

"If I didn't care, then I wouldn't have asked," he replied soothingly. "Now tell me what happened. It's awfully late and it isn't natural for a lady like you to be out here at this hour."

"I TOLD YOU IT DOESN'T MATTER!" I shrieked. I was shocked when I yelled because I didn't really mean to scream at him. "It doesn't matter…." My voice died off into a sob as I buried my face into my knees. My whole body began to shake again, and I almost didn't catch what Xerxes said next.

"But if it's making you so sad then it does matter to me," He whispered. "I don't like seeing you sad Miss Lotti. Things just don't seem right when you're sad."

"Why?" I whimpered into my legs.

"Why what Lotti?" he asked.

"Why do care if I'm sad or happy?" I asked angrily. "Why do you even speak to me? Why do even care about what happens to me? Just WHY?"

Xerxes hummed quietly and then chuckled slightly. "Well I thought it was quite obvious Miss Lotti, but I guess I should have guessed that I'd have to spell it out for you." I huffed and punched him in the arm for his rude comment, but he just laughed it off like he usually did.

"Before I had met you Miss Lotti, I had heard many things about you, and you can probably guess what I heard. I'm ashamed to say it, but for some stupid reason I thought all those things were true. It's horrible I know, but sometimes it's hard to not believe something when someone is so convinced that it's true. I was surprised when I first saw you because you didn't seem anything like the rumors that I had heard. You just looked like a lonely girl who was angry at the world for judging her so harshly. I was immediately ashamed at what I had done. I had judged you on what other people said without even seeing you with my own eyes. That's why I first starting talking to you Miss Lotti. I was angry with myself for doing such a horrible thing to you, even if you didn't know that I had done. As time went by, I looked forward to talking with you every day, even though you weren't too fond of me. I began to think of you as a friend, a very dear friend, Miss Lotti."

"Is that all true?" I asked in a small voice. Even fiber of my being wanted his words to be true, but there was a nagging voice in the back of my head that kept telling me that he was lying.

"Hmm how can I convince you that I'm telling the truth?" asked Xerxes quietly.

"I don't know," I replied as I turned my head away from him.

"Well, I think I know of a way," he replied mysteriously. I really had no idea what he was thinking of, but I jumped a little when he put his cold hand on my cheek. I turned towards his face, and I saw him smiling devilishly. I was about to ask him what he was smiling about, but I had no chance. Soft lips pressed gently against mine, and my face instantly shone bright red as it heated up. My heart began to race, and without realizing it my eyes had slid close and I had sunken into the kiss. I felt Xerxes smirking when I started to kiss him back, but I ignored his antics. My heart dropped slightly when I felt his face pulling away from mine, but I felt a bit better when he leaned his head against mine.

"Now do you trust me?" he asked. I said nothing, just shook my head in response. He chuckled and said, "Good because I would be really sad if you didn't."

"Why," I mumbled under my breath. I felt him tilt his head slightly so that his eye was looking straight into mine.

"You know Miss Lotti, when you spend a lot of time with someone it's natural to feel something for them after a while. After knowing you for a few months, I began to look forward to talking with you every single day. Ever time I saw you I felt so much livelier and happier inside and I didn't know why at first. Then I realized that it was because I felt something more than friendship for you Lotti. Your smile, your eyes, everything about you just made me feel so happy inside. I just wanted to be near you, to tell you how I felt about you. Yet it always seemed like you didn't want me around and I didn't want to make you more upset then need be. You are already having so many problems and I didn't want to stress you out even more or make things harder on you."

"You could have said something sooner," I replied as I moved my head from his forehead to pushed it against his shoulder. "I'd be lying if I said that I hated having you around all the time. Your bothersome nature made life a little bit more bearable. You actually noticed me and paid attention to me when everyone else either looked me over or said horrible things to me. You didn't have to do anything, yet you did and I couldn't have been happier Xerxes. You are one of the only people who actually care about me, and I couldn't thank you enough for that."

"Why Miss Lotti you don't have to thank me for anything," replied Xerxes. He wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me closer to him. He tugged at the quilt and covered us up more tightly in its warmth. "Now can you tell me what made you so upset in the first place and brought you to me this night."

My whole body began to shake and the tears that I was holding back start to fall again. I hated thinking about this whole thing, but I knew that he would bug me about it until I told him. "My father and me have never had a really good relationship. He's always coming home drunk and even at home he's drinking his fill of liquor. It's all because my mom died when I was very young. He never treated me like a daughter after that. I look just like my mom so he hates having me around and he's told me that one many occasions. School's not any better then home, but I'd much rather be there with friends instead of all alone at home."

"He's lucky he doesn't know me," replied Xerxes in a surprisingly serious tone. "If he did then I would have kicked his ass a long time ago."

"Don't get involved," I replied curtly. "We had a fight today, and I told him that I was never going back to that house. I wasn't joking when I said that, and I will never go back as long as I live."

"Then where will you go?" he asked. "If you don't have anywhere else to go then you could stay at my place."

"No, Lily already knows about my situation at home so she already offered a while ago," I answered. "She said that I could come over whenever I was ready. Her parents like me so they have no problem with me moving in with them. Anyway, wouldn't your parents get upset if I just showed up in their house asking to stay when they don't even know me?"

Xerxes sighed and then gave me a solemn smile. "My parents died in a car crash a few years ago. It's just been my little sister Emily and me since then."

"Oh," I replied. "I'm sorry if I brought up any bad memories."

"No don't worry Miss Lotti," he said as he held me tighter. "That was a long time ago and I've already moved on. Don't get me wrong I loved my parents very much, but Emily is alive and I can't let the past haunt me and keep me from taking good care of her."

"You're a good big brother," I replied. "She must love you very much."

"Well I would hope so," laughed Xerxes. "She's only 9 years old, yet she acts so grown up. It's almost hard to believe that she's my younger sister by 9 years."

"Does she get fed up with your annoying tendencies as well?" I asked.

"Sometimes," he chuckled. "But in the end I'm her brother so she tells me everything and comes to me when she needs help on anything."

"I wish I had a happy family," I mumbled suddenly. I inwardly gasped when I realized that I had said my thoughts out loud.

"Well Lotti you do have a happy family," he answered. I lifted my head and gave him a confused look. He simply looked back at me with that goofy smile of his and said, "Just because you aren't related to someone by blood that doesn't mean that you aren't family. You love your friends right?" I nodded my head in return. "Well they probably love you too. You four might not be blood relatives, but you love each other just as much as a family would. You are always smiling around them and having a good time, so I think that you guys have a really happy family thing going on there even if you didn't realize it."

"I never thought about it that way," I said. "I guess we are sort of a family."

"Sort of? You guys _are _a family and don't you deny it," he replied.

"Are you and your friends a family?" I asked.

"Yes we are," he said joyfully. "They all put up with me on a daily basis, and when things don't go right they are always there for me. Even when I annoy the hell out of them they still stay by my side, and I appreciate that more then I'm willing to say out loud. Speaking of them I really do need to introduce them to you. I'm sure that you and the Baskerville Twins would get along great. Sharon would love having you around too."

"I'm not so sure about that," I mumbled in response. "I'm not very people friendly if you know what I mean."

"Don't say that about yourself," he said. "They are very nice and kind. They wouldn't just put you out, especially if you're with me. The only thing that they might get on to you about is why you decided to be friends with me."

I laughed at him and said, "That's a question that I can't even answer for myself."

"You're so mean to me Miss Lotti," he whined in an irritating voice as he poked me on the forehead. "Why are you so mean to me?~"

"Because you are incredibly annoying," I replied as I swatted his hand away from my head.

"Well you better be nice to me when I take you to meet your in-laws tomorrow during school," said Xerxes in an obviously fake angry tone.

"What do you mean by in-laws?" I asked.

"Well when two people get together, their families become one and we normal people call them in-laws," he replied matter-of-factly.

"I don't know what you mean by that," I stuttered, my face becoming bright red again.

Xerxes just laughed at me and said, "I think you know very well and good what I mean by that."

I simply turned my head away from him in embarrassment, and he laughed at me some more. I wanted to punch him in the arm, but he held onto me tightly and was now leaning his head against my shoulder. Looking down at him I couldn't help but feel my heart grow light like all my worries had disappeared when he pushed his way in. My life had been pretty bad before, but now things were really looking up for me. Of course I had my friends, but I've never really had a friend like Xerxes before.

It would have been far to hard to get into that boys mind and guess what he was thinking at that very moment, but there was only one thing that I was thinking just then.

_I love you…._

* * *

**_A/N: So this was just a random idea that came into my head, and since I really wanted to do a Brotti fic this idea turned into just that. I'm sorry that I haven't been writing as much again, but I've been reallly preoccupied with an original story that I'm working on and I have little time for fanfictions. I don't know what I'm going to get to next, but just as a little update I have a little bit of the next chapter of White Rose written. Don't know if that's the next thing to come, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm still doing my fanfics and that I won't give up on any of them. Anyway, I was thinking about turning this one-shot into a full story, but I'm not totally sure if I will. So I'll see you lovelys in the next update I have. Good day my friends!_**


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